While authorities still search for Colorado's Falcon Heene, and we dearly hope he turns up unharmed, we wondered why the Heenes constructed this contraption in the first place — and uncovered Mr. Heene's attempt to prove there's life on Mars.

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According to the Denver Post, the father, Richard Heene, is an amateur scientist, and was in a weather based research team called Psyience Detectives. The homemade saucer was constructed from plywood and string, but was never intended for flight. And yet it was filled with helium — but perhaps it was never meant to fly dangerously about so high.

Mr. Heene is also a storm chaser, who is trying to prove that storm have their own magnetic fields and that there is life on Mars...as you can see from the above iReport video.

ESA photos edited out buildings on Mars. NEW PYRAMID!! I just discovered Edited photos!!! The European Space Agency has leaked evidence clearly showing civilization on planet Mars.This video will show you the evidence,as well as how you can download it and judge for yourself. Also this Video shows a new Head Monument that has been recently identified on the Maritian surface. This is not a hoax.

Here is a picture of them all together via MSNBC, in front of what looks like the balloon, or another experimental weather device.

Let this be a warning to the rest of the amateur scientists out there — please, safety first. Rescuers still have not found Falcon, and he wasn't in the downed balloon. We hope for a safe and speedy return of Falcon to his family so they can continue chasing storms together.